Always a Dream, Perhaps a Nightmare
by bearsrawesome
Summary: It started off as a normal drugs bust but when it goes wrong and there's an explosion, things take a startling turn. Chin wakes up to discover that everythings changed and he can't decide whether it's for better or for worse. What is going on? Lot's of team fluffiness and oddness, a fic about our favourite Ohana. WHOLE TEAM
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, fellow Hawaii 5-0 fans! I'm afraid I have been on a long hiatus thing and in reality, with one week before exams, I kinda still am. So, sincerest apologies, but do expect delays between updates. Came up with this with my best friend on Friday and we were bouncing up and down talking about it. It's not like my usual genre, a bit weird and wacky rather than my usual whump and angst, and this centres mostly around Chin's perspective though Steve and Danno play a big role (obviously). I have been practicing for my English Language exam in a couple of weeks which is why I've used a tonne of language devices and made a special effort on the description so it would be much appreciated if you'd review with some feedback. Now, this is kind of a McDanno fic and at the same time...it isn't...it's complicated but read on and you might start to get it in the next few chapters. This one is romance free for the moment but if you like some fluffy stuff then it's coming up later. Enjoy and please review! Morgan x**

Chapter 1

It was a beautiful evening. The Hawaiian sunset that lingered just above the sparkling ocean was idyllic; the gentle roll of the waves making the surface seem to come alive as the light danced and glinted in marvellous colours with every movement. The sky above was breath-taking. Picturesque, fluffy clouds were strewn carelessly across the orange canvas that merged with the subtle pinks and blues that blessed the island's skies and brightened to meet the burning glow of its source. The heat of the sun warmed the skin, like being dipped in a hot bath of golden light; but within the breeze was the sweet caress of the forests, the scent of blooming flowers and earthiness of wizened bark that drifted down from the looming mountains above and blanketed the city, mingling with the saltiness of the ocean spray that crawled from the bay.

Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly could not ignore nature's awe-inspiring glory as he crouched at the edge of the warehouse block, perspiration on his brow and soaking through his back, the heat trapped by the thick Kevlar covering his torso. A burning desire to turn away and return to his bike swelled in his gut but his every present calm soothed the yearning as his sensible side gently reprimanded himself for losing focus. The 5-0 team had been planning to spend a beautiful evening on the lanai at Steve's house, enjoying a hearty barbecue as a family as they paddled on the beach and laughed together long into the night. However, fate had so predictably intervened and HPD had asked for their assistance in bringing yet another criminal to justice, a group of smugglers whom had been experimenting with a new and dangerous drug that had blown up somewhere in Europe and had since become a rather expensive product.

Grover had politely invited them to the bust when the intel had come in on a new base of operations and Steve, unable to leave a good friend on his own, had offered their assistance as their experience far out-weighed the majority of SWAT's. No one had argued, not even Danny, having been highly aware of the dangers that accompanied the drug but Chin could not help but feel irritated by the prospect of another joyous evening having been ruined. But now, leant against the wall, eyes carefully trained on the entrance point ahead of him; he wished he had voiced a low protest and gotten to spend an evening sipping icy beer, safe and sound, instead of sweaty and full of adrenaline as he awaited Steve's order to enter.

"Everyone in position?"

Steve's voice was as collected as ever, that slight darkness to his tone that he always had whenever he was about to do an op. A number of replies followed, with Chin's own soft acknowledgment being one of the last as his heart began to thud loudly in his chest with anticipation. The pure exhilaration made him sharper, more attuned to his surroundings as he cast a quick glance around the area.

It was an abandoned warehouse area-rather cliché for a criminal hideout, but finding good headquarters was difficult nowadays- which had previously been used as a processing plant for packaged food but had since been moved closer into the city. The buildings themselves were still in relatively good condition given its age, separated into four blocks around a fenced off area, but they bore marks of disrepair and abandonment. The rough brick had been dried by the sun and had crumbled in places, the colours becoming whiter with age, and it scratched the bare skin of Chin's arms and he could feel the friction of his shirt across the surface as the fibres caught of the ruined wall. Weeds ran down the lines of the pavestones under foot, reaching up in ugly clumps toward the sky and stretching wide over the flat, grey stone so that the ground was dotted with dark, green forests.

"On my mark…" Steve breathed for a couple of moments before calling "Go."

Instantly, Chin's pent up energy transferred to his feet and he covered the short distance to the doorway, three officers in heavy SWAT gear following on his heels. The paused either side of the entrance, silently looking between each other before Chin flicked his fingers in means of permission and one stepped forward and his foot collided with the door with a loud crack. Around the compound, Chin caught the bellows of 'HPD' and '5-0' echoing around the thick walls as they crashed into the area. The Hawaiian followed after the first officer into a large empty room, bare of anything short of broken machinery and cobwebs that were heavy with dust.

"Clear." The words left Chin's throat subconsciously as the small group spanned out onto the rooms beyond, each moving to another doorway with ease, footsteps echoing through the cavernous space.

Chin opened the door to the next room, stumbling slightly at the sight before him. It was obviously a storage room with bags of white powder carefully piled high against the walls, labelled and ready for transport. It was a vast quantity of material, one that surprised even Chin despite his experience within the police and 5-0 and the sight vaguely reminded him of looking at bags of compost. He moved closer to investigate, finding the room empty and no sign of where the owners of the stash had disappeared to. Curious as to his colleague's own discoveries, he swiftly exited the room and headed over to the group, who were now lining up to open the last door that was obviously locked. One of the officers took a step back before delivering a powerful kick to the door, making it swing back with a dull bang against the wall behind.

Chin barely had time to register the high pitched beeping before there was a surprised scream, cut off by the roar of an explosion and the resulting shockwave that blasted through one wall and sent Chin tumbling backwards with a heavy grunt. Heat pressed against his face and the room shook with the force of the blow, dust raining from the ceiling above and threatening collapse and Chin struggled to stay conscious as he watched a white cloud descend over him and his world spiralled into darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Updating this quick (I know I posted the first chapter only a couple of minutes ago) as this chapter is going to be a bit OOC but that's the point! Chin comments on how odd he feels about the situation so you;d get the idea something is off with out two boys anyway. It gets a little weird toward the end but I hope you like the weird path I've taken with this. Morgan x**

Chapter 2

_Beep._

_Beep._

_Beep._

The annoying blips assaulted Chin's ears as he returned to consciousness, stabbing into his brain like knives and making him groan at the pain. His senses felt dulled, thoughts trickling in as drops from a faulty tap and he needed a moment to adjust to the new sensations of pain flying through him. A hand gripped his shoulder, firm but caring.

"Chin? You with us?"

The voice was tantalisingly familiar and a need to see the friendly face made him force his sticky eyes open, wincing as the light clawed at his bleary eyes.

"Take it slow, brah."

It was a new voice this time and it was enough to push Chin through the lasting discomfort, as he finally was aware of the two blurry faces hovering above his face; their eyes filled with concern which morphed in wide toothy grins.

"Danny? Steve?" Chin croaked, voice raspy with underuse but a Steve placed a finger to his lips with a warning look as Danny reached for something near Chin's head.

"Don't talk, we've got it covered." Steve turned to Danny with a bright smile playing across his lips "Haven't we, Danno?"

"That we do, babe; that we do." Danny leant over Chin and carefully tipped something to lips and Chin almost groaned in delight as he felt the ice chips slips into his mouth and melt upon his tongue.

"Better?"

Chin nodded.

"More?"

Chin nodded again and the cup was brought to his lips again, lingering there a little longer as Chin satisfied himself before gently shifting in bed and the blond detective placed the cup back down on the side table nearby. Steve and Danny both then sat perched on the edge of his hospital bed, looking down with identical expressions that were almost expectant.

"What happened?" Chin inquired quietly, grateful that his tongue was no longer a foreign entity in his mouth.

"They booby-trapped the storage facility-the building you went into-we caught the guys but you took a beating in the blast. Just a nasty concussion and a few bruises though so you should be out of here by tonight." Steve informed him casually, eyes kind and sympathetic, teeth still shockingly white to Chin's concussed brain.

Danny just rolled his eyes at Steve "All he ever thinks about his how long till he can get out of here. Don't let him talk you into it! You're more sensible than that, Chin, so I expect you not to launch a premature escape attempt."

Chin's mind clicked onto something in Danny's voice, something he had never heard before but he couldn't place it and he frowned in confusion.

"Is your head, okay?" Steve's face morphed into worry "Do you need me to get a doctor?"

"No…no, I'm fine. Can you help me sit up?"

Lightheaded, Chin shifted awkwardly as the two men moved in tandem and assisted his efforts until he sat more comfortably on the white bed. The room wasn't particularly large or small, a huge window filling the space of a wall to his left and giving a perfect view out over the east of the island, a sandy white beach filled with tourists spread out after a few rows of houses and interwoven with the smooth lines of roads. The sun was just reaching its peak, high above the ant-like creatures below and the streets and restaurants just below were filled with hungry holiday-makers still wet from the surf and lathered in sun-cream.

Noticing his distraction, Steve rested his hand lightly on Chin's in an unusually affectionate manner "You've been out all night. Close to twelve hours now."

"Do you want me to get you some malasadas?" Danny asked keenly, leaning forward with an odd level of enthusiasm "Or Steve and I can grab something from Kamekona if you want."

"No, I'm fine, Danny. Thanks."

"Ok, if you're sure." Steve seemed almost whiny and Chin tried to work out if he was worried-unlikely since his injuries seemed more superficial than anything-or just teasing him.

Finally Chin could stand it no longer and his curiosity won out over his "Are you guys messing with me?"

"No." Both men looked befuddled as they turned their heads toward together in an identical movement and exchanged quick looks, the picture of innocence "Why would we be messing with you?"

Their voices seemed to harmonise and Chin would be lying if it didn't freak him out, but he nodded mutely in response and managed to not quirk an eyebrow at his friends. Assuming they had both stayed in his room for the past few hours, then World War III would have almost certainly kicked off already and would be at its climax but they seemed…perfect. Chin put it down to an over-zealous imagination and settled back against his pillow with a sigh.

"I think I'm going to rest for a while." he winced at the awkwardness in his tone but if the other two noticed, they did not show it.

"Good idea, Chin."

"Yeah, we'll tell Kono you said hello and come and pick you up later. Sleep well, buddy."

As though the room was on a stage, the lights began to dim as Steve and Danny rose together and Chin's eyelids drifted shut into the warmth of unconsciousness.

Not a second later, Chin burst into wakefulness and his eyes opened automatically as the sun was beginning its slow descent into the night, holiday makers enjoying the rapid loss of heat as they sprawled across the sand in swimwear and shorts. Chin was almost hyper aware of his surroundings, as though in shock or worried, but his heart continued to beat steadily in his chest and the walls around him stood tall and rigid as every normal wall should. However something still nagged at Chin, some imperfection he was missing and it frustrated him no end-his detective side shining through despite the slight haze of chaos and emotion he currently found himself in-until Chin felt as though he would rip himself apart from the inside out. It felt like he had only just closed his eyes, but that was normal surely? After all, he had woken like that before, feeling like he had not slept more than two minutes before being rushed back into life's unending torrent and he already had a relatively serious head injury to contend with. Why was it bothering him? But then again, why did he not feel fatigued like all those other times? And why was the pain in his skull almost non-existent now after only a few hours rest?

Before Chin could ponder more the door to his room swung open and Steve and Danny appeared, as promised, looking just the safe as before and fitting so oddly into the scenery that it unnerved him. The happy smiles on their faces struck a chord in Chin's chest, one that he could not deny made him feel positive emotion in return, but it was one of those truly rare surges of glee that were only reserved for special occasions.

"Hi, Chin, ready to break out?" Steve greeted him cheerfully and a moved to assist Chin out of bed.

Chin thought he'd only blinked but suddenly he was sat in a wheelchair, Steve bracing the handles beside him and Danny stood in front of him examining the bandage wound tightly around his head.

The blond hissed in sympathy "That's probably gonna hurt for a little while."

Almost as soon as the words left the detective's mouth, pain flared across Chin's temple and he winced at the sudden reaction that had caught him off guard. Chin felt trapped; as though in a whirlwind that was spewing him out at odd intervals into reality and then snatching him back in again.

The chair beneath him lurched and Chin braced himself suddenly as cool air breathed against his face and the wheels began to trundle noisily on the smooth stone at the hospital entrance. Fear clutched at Chin's heart. What was happening? Was he losing time? How had they gotten down here so quickly?

A warm hand touched his shoulder and Steve leaned down to murmur into his ear "Kono's going to take you home. Look, she's over there."

Chin's eyes scanned the crowd milling around him but even his keen intuition was unable to see the lithe form of his cousin as the boys steered him toward the row of cars near the entrance, overshadowed by the long line of palm trees that decorated the grassy area beside it. Sudden movement caught his attention and his jaw almost hit the floor as he spotted Kono waving excitedly at him from where she was stood just next to a car.

Kono was bright pink.

Her dark hair was carefully wound into a tight bun atop her head, any stray locks neatly pinned back behind her ears. Her eyelashes were thick with mascara and her eyelids were a soft pink that seemed to just melt into her face and matched perfectly with the rose coloured lipstick on her thin lips. Instead of her usual tank top and jeans, her curved frame was accentuated by a puffy pink frock, the sleeves like balls around her shoulders, the outline of a corset woven into the fabric and finished with the prettiest of white lace. The skirt flowed out from her waistline till just above her knee, the hem marked with the same elegant pattern and complimented her long legs that led down to girly, baby-pink heels.

Chin was gobsmacked.

Kono Kalakaua, whom ever since they were very young, had made clear her repulsion of the colour pink and puffy dresses due to their stereotypes and their impracticality -because Kono insisted pockets were a necessity in everyday life and the fact that she couldn't surf in them was against her human rights-was wearing the most girlish outfit Chin had ever seen. And the worst part was she looked _good_ in it. The image clashed with Chin's own memories however and left him almost speechless and he felt as though he was looking at a doll, a perfect model of his beloved cousin that had been dressed up as a beauty queen.

"Hey, cuz!"

"K-Kono," he stuttered eloquently, almost toppling out of the wheelchair "What are you wearing?"

She didn't seem to catch onto the disbelief in Chin's voice as she twirled round to show him, the skirt splaying out as she spun effortlessly round "You like it? Hunny-muffin brought it for me."

"Hunny-muffin?" Chin squeaked in a rather manly fashion, feeling his face pale in horror at the familiar voice that may as well have been speaking a foreign language.

The others seemed blissfully unaware of his confusion and the fact he could barely breathe as Danny admired Kono's dress "I think you should get some pearl earrings with that. Grace always says that jewellery completes a dress and she'd be happy to help you pick some."

"She always does have a good taste in style," The perfect, pink doppelganger chewed on her lip thoughtfully "And she did help me pick out those gorgeous pumps for Easter…I think I could use some girl to girl advice."

"I'll be sure to ask tonight." Danny grinned widely and Steve looked equally pleased as Chin's mind struggled to catch up.

"You guys can stop it now," Chin finally managed to gather a collective breath and almost laughed as he realised his mistake "Funny joke. Mess with the guy with the head injury. You got me. Now can Kono take that hideous thing off before anyone sees us."

Everyone's mouths dropped in shock as Kono's face morphed into a hurt and furious glare "What do you mean hideous?!"

"Chin, why do you think we're joking?" Steve asked sincerely, looking between the others before stepping further into Chin's restricted field of vision "We're not doing anything."

"He must have hit his head harder than we thought." Danny mused half-jokingly before glancing to Steve "He doesn't have a thick a skull as you."

Steve managed to spare him a tired look before kneeling in front of Chin and resting a hand on his leg "You're acting really strange, Chin. Do you need me to take you back in?"

Before Chin could form a sentence, Kono was pressing the back of her manicured hand against his forehead with a delicate frown marring her beautiful features.

"I think he may have a fever."

"Nah, he'd be all flushed and sweaty."

"He looks pale though, Danno. It may not be a fever but he's obviously not well."

Kono straightened up and patted out an imaginary crease in her skirt "Maybe he just needs to rest, I'm sure a bag-full of malasadas and some of Hunnymuffin's fresh cookies will help."

"We should bring Gracie," Steve suggested, looking between his other two teammates as Chin watched on almost helplessly as they plotted in front of him "We may need ground support."

"We should take him to our place, babe. He can watch some of you ridiculous action movies with all those explosions." Danny added with a pointed look at Steve, who's face crumpled at the insinuation.

"Hey! Those movies are great!" he defended vehemently and crossed his arms over his chest with a pout "And I don't see you complaining whenever we're watching them! Why don't you choose for once?"

Danny gesticulated wildly "Because you're a control freak!"

"Maybe you're just indecisive!"

"Indecisive! I'll tell you what, Steven, if I-"

"Enough!" Kono interrupted the two with a stern scowl that made the partners blush with embarrassment "Chin's not feeling very well, so have a little respect for his poor, aching head .Cuz, how are you feeling?"

Chin was too astounded to do anything but gape at the chink of golden light that had caught his eye during the argument, waving around madly as Danny threw his hands in the air and gestured boldly.

"Is that a wedding ring?" Chin gasped in bewilderment as Danny glanced down and lifted his hand so that everyone could see the band more clearly.

"What are you…? Of course it's a wedding ring! Last I checked I'm still married."

Chin's eyes widened in shock as Kono gauged his reaction nervously "You don't remember…do you?"

"You can't have forgotten!" Danny looked mildly offended, blue eyes sparkling with worry "You were our best-man!"

"W-what? Who?"

Danny frowned deeply "What do you mean who?"

"Who are you married to?" Chin managed to force out past the heavy confusion that weighed on his chest. How could he have forgotten about Danny's wedding? When did Danny have any interest in marriage?

Danny and Steve glanced to one another before Steve slowly lifted his own hand.

"Me, Chin. Danny and I have been married two years."


End file.
